What Makes Grinnellians So Special?

I got this notice today from Grinnell College, Office of College and Alumni Relations ...

Dear Maxwell,

We are honored to inform you that the following kind contributor made a gift in your honor to the College:

[Name and address withheld]

This gift will be listed in the President's Report and Honor Roll of Giving that is published each fall.

As an education institution, Grinnell College strives to uphold the highest ideals of an open community, appreciative of histories and cultures throughout the world and dedicated to critical inquiry. We are grateful to all who share those values.

I've never had this happen to me before. I am utterly speechless, and absolutely honored. A gift? In my name?!? WOW!

Day After

It's sooooo quiet on campus the day after graduation. I didn't have to dedicate time answering phone calls and emails from frantic students about their presentations or research papers. It was simply peaceful.

Yesterday's graduation was truly an event for me. For the first time, I was acting in the official capacity as a professor with "all the rights and privileges" that my degree and rank afforded to me. You see I never went to my own graduation. Mine was rather anti-climatic, and if anything, I was more ecstatic at the thought of putting behind me ten years of friendly fascism from my school. I just wanted to leave and move on with my life and career. I don't know if "hate" is the right word to express my sentiments, but it's pretty damn close.

But at yesterday's graduation as the faculty gathered in ARH before our procession, I felt proud and privileged to be a part of this community of intellectuals at this institution. As we marched out, the graduating seniors and their families applauded us. Many of them cheered and called out our names. Donning the medieval regalia became more than dressing up for this ritual called "graduation." It was being recognized for our work and acknowledging an accomplishment not measured in the number of articles that I publish or grants that I receive, but from the smiles and endless "thank you's" from my students and their families. For the first time in quite a long while, I felt really great about being a professor, teacher, and scholar. For me, yesterday's ceremony was, in many ways, my own graduation, and that is a moment I will always be grateful for.

Besides, when and where else can anyone don flowing black and blue robes lined with the colors of knowledge and it'll be okay to yell out "Expelliarmus!"?

Of course, it was just a passing temptation for me. =D

Winners of Titular Head 2009

The Titular Head Film Festival is an annual spring time event featuring student made and produced short films.

The films should be under 5 minutes unless it "totally kicks ass." State of the art cameras are available for check-out and computers are available for editing. I hear it's some pretty fancy gear. First through third prizes will be determined by a panel of judges consisting of students, faculty, and staff.

And here are the top three winners of the Titular Head Film Festival 2009. I loved it all!!!

THIRD PLACE: The Washroom

SECOND PLACE: Call on Me


FIRST PLACE: Star Wars Grinnell

The Nicest Things

I went back to work today after I came home last night from an exhausting interview. I was tired, unfocused, and sleep deprived. You cannot imagine how much I smoked these past few days when I was interviewing; I was like a train on fire.

But as soon as I stepped into my office, I had a constant steady stream of students meeting with me about their projects, their presentations, and just to check up on me to see how I was doing. And all of a sudden, I felt fine. The nicest thing about coming home is to see my partner again, and to see the happy faces on my students.

*YAWNS*

It's about time to get back to work. My trip to San Francisco was great if it didn't include my stay with my parents. Sorry but I don't have that kind of a relationship with my parents that makes you feel warm and fuzzy. They push my buttons, and I am more than happy to return the favors. At any rate, it was nice to get away from the frigid temperatures of Iowa and to enjoy the warmth of the sun, and the comfort of great food and friends. Here's a quick summary of my vacation highlights:

1) California Academy of Sciences: closed due to earthquake damage and reopened in September 2008, the newly redesigned and refurbished museum is simply AWESOME. Smaller than before but nevertheless a great exhibition on conservationism, environmentalism, history, science, astronomy, biology, and ecology.

2) Asian/American/Modern Art: Shifting Currents, 1900-1970 at the de Young Museum: this is probably the first comprehensive survey of ASIAN AMERICAN artists featured at a major fine arts museum. There's over 100 works by 60 artists that spans nearly 70 years. A very fine exhibition.

3) Maya Lin: Systematic Landscapes, also at the de Young Museum: Just right after the Asian American art exhibition was Maya Lin's new exhibition which was ... okay. Basically, it's taking computer generated wire framed topographies and transforming them into large scale physical pieces. Some were cool; others ... well ... it just didn't work for me. It doesn't help when I still have this ambivalence about Maya Lin and her racial/gender politics during the Vietnam Veterans Memorial controversy. Meh ...

4) Would you believe that I saw two of my former students from Loyola Marymount University? These two were the better ones, not the screwed up ignorant elitist kids. I was pleasantly surprised and glad to see that they've graduated and moved on with their careers. One was a graduate student in urban planning and the other received her teaching credentials. It was awkward considering that one caught me at a cafe reading a book and the other called me yelled out "Professor Leung!" at the de Young Museum. I was embarrassed, but I was so happy to see both of them. They were my favorite students.

5) Great movies to watch: Doubt and Slumdog Millionaire. Dumbest movie to watch: Bedtime Stories. My younger brother and his wife wanted to see that one. Really, they did.

6) Read a few chapters on a cultural theory and popular culture in preparation for my classes in the spring. That was somewhat productive.

7) I brought my camera with my and photographed The City to my heart's delight, and I also got an opportunity to do a photowalk at the Mountain View Cemetary in Oakland. Very cool.

8) On a sad note, I found out from one of my former students that Randy Senzaki passed away on June 13, 2003. I was shocked and utterly speechless. I remember Randy when he was the director of Equal Opportunity Programs at San Francisco State University. He was one of the few APA administrators who was extremely supportive of student activists and worked tirelessly on issues of social justice. I'm still shaking my head.

My back to work "to do" list includes:

• finish my syllabi
• send back final papers back to students
• two letters of recommendations to write up and send off ... maybe three
• check my emails
• write up my section for the sociology departmental self-study review
• rework the Sociology Department website
• confirm the retreat meeting for AAC and ASIA

And a few long term ones that include sending out more applications for a few more positions, preparing two conference presentations, and writing/submitting an article to a journal and another that is co-written with a colleague of mine.

It's going to be a busy semester.

Grades Are Done!

Final grades were submitted and I am officially done for the semester. I had about four rounds of grading and adjustments for my second class. It wasn't easy, but I think it's fair for everyone.

Now I can take the rest of the day day to clean up the house, do the laundry, pack my bags because tomorrow, Wednesday, we'll be flying out to San Francisco for ten days to see my family and friends.

It just occurred to me that I have a section to write for the departmental review ...

... two articles to revise for publications ...

... four more applications to send out ...

... two conference papers to write ...

... three syllabi to develop ...

... a department website to revamp ...

... and a list of Asian American books to write up for the students.

Did I forget anything else?

UPDATE (10:42pm):
It just occurred to me how different the grading system is at Grinnell College. At GMU, there was a pull down menu that lists all our options from "A+" to "F" to even some specialized ones such as "SA" which is short for "Stopped Attending." I vaguely remember over a dozen choices. Grinnell's system does not have a drop down menu. In fact, it's just a fill-in box. So it made me wonder what else could I put there? How about the letter "Q"? Or numbers like "6" or the ever popular "7"? How about a combination of letters and numbers like "L33t"? They all seem perfectly acceptable. I just find it hilarious when thinking about who'll be reading it like the Registrar's Office and, of course, the students themselves. They might collectively think, "WTH was this guy smoking?!?" And I would say, "I wish I was! But I just wanted to know what would happen."

Conundrum

CONUNDRUM: co * nun * drum [kuh-nuhn-druh-m]

1. A paradoxical, insoluble, or difficult problem; a dilemma.

So how can you tell the difference between an "A" paper from a "B" when a significant majority of my students wrote exceptional papers?

At other schools, it was easy. You can easily tell who prepared their papers, edited them, and submitted them in a polished format versus papers that were hastily and haphazardly written at 3am. The gulf between an "A" paper from everything else was wide and easy to navigate. With my students, however, it is not that simple or clear cut. On the one hand, they are all "A" papers -- polished, creative, and coherent. On the other hand, I can't possibly give everyone an "A" on their paper and for their final grade.

Can I?

I know my grading standard is based upon past experiences at other institutions and it is fairly straightforward. But at a college where excellence is the standard, I am faced with the reality that I have to be more precise than ever before, that is, not only widening the gulf between an "A" and a "B" paper, but also the pluses and minuses in between.


UPDATE (5:39pm): One class down and one more to go.

UPDATE (6:20pm): Note to self: never grade papers on an empty stomach.

I Didn't Want This Day To Come

In the past when I was teaching at other schools, I would count the days till the end of the semester when I would be finally free of my professional obligations as a teacher. I would breathe a sigh of relief and jump for joy when that day came. I would praise the few students who worked their hardest for me, and piss off the ones who disrespected me. I would pick up my mail in the department office that's been accumulating over the semester and quickly disappear back into the nameless faceless crowd of other adjuncts and professors.

That didn't happen this time around. In fact, I didn't realize today was the last day of the semester. I know I'll see my students in the future and that I'll definitely stay in touch with all of them. But more than anything else, I realize that I didn't want this day to come because I was genuinely enjoying my time and work with the students of Grinnell College.

I have nothing but praise for all of my students!

Damn, I can't believe it's the last day.

Hogwarts and Grinnell College

After a prolonged and careful deliberation from personal and anecdotal observations, I have come to the conclusion that if I had to compare Grinnell students to the four houses at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, they would be HUFFLEPUFF!

Maybe Ravenclaw, but that would be a very long stretch.

Why, you might ask?

Hufflepuff is the most inclusive of the four houses. They value diligence, loyalty, tolerance, and fair play that are attributes that both Grinnell and Hufflepuff share in abundance. Ravenclaw was also a serious contender since they value intelligence, creativity, wit, and wisdom. I would've gladly selected Ravenclaw had wisdom not been a trait but oh well. Besides, out of the four houses, only Hufflepuff had the poorest performance in quidditch matches which seems to be a record comparable to Grinnell's football season for the past several years (this year was promising since they won 3 games).

Some might be offended but I assure you there is absolutely nothing wrong with being a Hufflepuff.

I have many friends who are Hufflepuffs and they do just fine.

Winter Cometh

So the moment that I've been dreading has arrived. It's snowing quite steadily, not heavily but it's a kind of slush for now. It snowed last Saturday but it didn't stay long enough. This downfall may become ice over night and so my girlfriend parked her car into the garage, while my truck is left to fend for itself outside.

Ice? You mean that's different from snow?!?

I shall find out soon enough.

Luckily, it's college football all day featuring some historical rivals such as Alabama v. Auburn, Georgia Tech v. Georgia, and so on.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL!!!

Pioneers 21, Knox 14

Finally! Pioneers win their first home game since the season started. With an overall 3-3 record, the team looks pretty good this year considering they only won one game all season last year. Though I love a winning record, I'm more happy to be at an actual football game with fans, friends, and families cheering the team. It also helps that I have several of my students on the team so there's an added incentive to watch them play. I've made it to every home game and while the loss to Monmouth was devastating (0-69), this win more than makes up the past two losses.

On a side note, I've never tried my hand at sport photography. I purchased a Sigma 70-300mm lens a few weeks ago and it's got a pretty good range, but it lacks automatic focus so I lose a few shots. It's definitely not shooting flowers or landscape.

I Feel Legit Now

OK, I have to admit that this is actually very cool.  =D

http://www.grinnell.edu/academic/sociology/faculty/leung/

My Students

Not a day goes by when I am truly amazed and in awe of my students. They are simply the best students that I have ever worked with and it's only the second week.

Two of my students in my Contemporary Asian American class identified themselves as student leaders in two Asian American student organizations. We're going to meet again and talk about their plans for the year and how I can best contribute. One of them, a biology major, said that she had arranged her entire class schedule around my course so that she can take it. She even said that she'll do whatever she can to take my course next semester as well. Another student, a senior, told me that he's been waiting three years to take a course like mine and he's loving everything about it. I can't remember the last time anyone was this genuine and sincere about the class and how engaged they are with social justice in a long long time. They're passion is infectious! And I am truly humbled by them.

But it made me sad to think about how many students who wanted to enroll this semester but could not. Then I thought about how many years of APA students graduated from the college without ever having just the choice to take a course in Asian American history, politics, and culture. It was even sadder to think that when I leave, this course may not be offered again until who knows when.

And so it begins ...

Just finished tweaking my syllabus for both classes. It's been a major update and it's rather ambitious but I think it'll work. I just hope the students will enjoy it and find the materials compelling.

I'll find out tomorrow.

UPDATE: The Day After
Friday was a seriously busy day! Taught my two classes in the early morning, then J and I and a few of my colleagues went to see the Shimomura gallery opening, grabbed a quick dinner, and finally ended at the new faculty get-together at the Faculty House and socialized with a number of people for several hours late in the evening. I came home and tried to watch the latest Harold and Kumar movie but it was so stupid and I was so tired that I fell asleep. I went to bed at 11:45pm and woke up at 10am!!!

Both of my classes went well; it is after all the first day so there's really nothing to get worked up about anyways. So I'll see in about two weeks but I do think I have a great set of students who are genuine, supportive, and very engaging.

Signs of Life

About 4 more days until the semester officially begins and I'm sitting in my office working on my second syllabus. I already had two students visit to talk to me about my classes; another student emailed me later today and I still have registration on Wednesday as well.

Running out of time!!!

MADE IT!!!

After arriving last Monday evening, I'm finally back online and writing my first post from the comfort of my new home in Grinnell, Iowa. The packing, moving, and driving over 1000 miles will always test one's patience and it certainly did. I hate having my life upended. I also hate not being connected to my friends via the internet, but there's always an end and J and I are finally feeling like we're at home. I think this weekend we'll have our first real chance to check out the town and the surrounding cities like Des Moines and Iowa City. Here's a few quick highlights ...

• Grinnell is really a small town ... population of 9000 people and you can drive to the boundaries of the town in a few minutes.
• Wild rabbits scampering through our yard!!!
• Dragonflies and other bugs.
• The tomatoes grown here are absolutely delicious!!!
• Lots of thunder and lightning storms. Our power went out for a few hours once.
• We have a toilet and semi-repaired shower in our basement. It was really weird but my colleague informed me that is there in the event of a tornado in case we become trapped. It's more prevalent in older homes like the one we have when Grinnell was seriously damaged by a tornado. Obviously, my new home is one of the older ones in town.
• Our basement is hella' musty.
• We met our new neighbors within 10 minutes of arriving. Everyone is incredibly friendly. As a matter of fact, everywhere I went people talked to me and said hello. My colleague in sociology lives next door and I found out my other neighbor is a native San Franciscan. He's a classic '60s liberal who has a beautiful garden. Awesome!
• Lots of cornfields. Seriously. Corn is everywhere and is the state's main product along with soybean.
• Lots of farm equipment like tractors.
• We saw a truck load of pigs being transported through Grinnell.
• Walmart is the local store that is the only establishment open for 24 hours. I really hate that store but there were a number of things that I needed to fix my place up.
• Unpacking is about 90% done. I checked in with my department and will get settled in as soon as possible. I have an OFFICE with my name on it. J has a more beautiful office in the Center for the Humanities with a window.
• J and I scored on our first trip to Des Moines by finding a really good Asian market. We came home with over $200 of dumplings, noodles, tofu, meats, bean sprouts, bean curd, seasonings, snow pea shoots, BBQ pork buns, preserved mangos, pickled cucumbers, and daikon. To hell with junk food!

That's about it for now. Will check in again and post pictures as soon as I can. Thanks to everyone for sending me your emails of support!

And Mr. Smith Leaves Washington, DC

Today is my last day in Arlington, VA Washington, DC.

Movers came yesterday and picked up everything that we packed.

J and I had one great and last dinner with a very dear friend/colleague from her department -- Korean BBQ! We had one last toast together and to our friend.

We vacuumed, washed, scrubbed, and dusted (not necessarily in that order) our apartment.

We threw away tons of goodies and foods from Trader Joe's, the Korean market, etc.

We slept on the floor last night because the movers took our bed.

I hit my head on the side view mirror of the mover's truck leaving a 2-inch cut that bled for some time. Yeah, that was stupid of me.

I have no cable TV, but I still have internet access.

Our 80-year-old next door neighbor was sad to see us go, but insisted that J and I finally get married.

We have a few more things to do, final packing, and some more trash to throw away this morning.

We'll have our last lunch here, maybe at the local diner -- the same one that we went to the first night J arrived for her job at "that school" in Fairfax. It's seems fitting that we begin and end there.

After lunch, we'll hit the road driving for about 2-3 days to our first stop at Wichita, KS to see J's family. Her mom's cooking is to die for! And I'll get to shoot pool with her father who is pretty good opponent. After 2-3 days of resting and recuperating, we'll make our way for 6.5 hours to our final destination at Grinnell, IA.

That's it. =D

Videos of Grinnell

Here's three videos about the college and Grinnell, IA, that I found on YouTube. I keep seeing references to squirrels or "Grinnell Squirrel" as the bottom two videos will show. It must be something local or maybe it's just coincidence. I dunno'.

I remember at LMU the Hawai'i students always got excited whenever they saw squirrels roaming on campus. Why? Because there are no squirrels in Hawai'i.


Video Tour of Grinnell, IA (Grinnell Chamber of Commerce)


Picture Tour of Grinnell College


Grinnell International Students Movie (This one's really cute!)

More Grinnell News!

I am truly overjoyed that my partner accepted the position of Visiting Professor of Visual Culture for the Center for the Humanities at Grinnell College. She literally had her interview yesterday and she was contacted just moments ago today that the committee decided to offer her the position. WOOT! We're both going to Grinnell with our own jobs and it's going to be one exciting year!

Grinnell Housing

A few days ago, right when we're about to sign off on the apartment in downtown Grinnell, it was suddenly and painfully swiped from us by another renter! The rental market is pretty competitive considering that prime spots with all the amenities are highly sought after locations.

I was worried. I think my partner was more worried than me. But after a few more days, and with the assistance of my wonderful colleague, we finally found a wonderful gem. It's a house with over 1,500 square feet, 2 bedroom / 1 bath with a garage, attic, basement, washer/dryer, central air, and large front and backyard right off the campus on Elm Street. It so happens that my colleague in the Sociology Department is my next door neighbor as well! But finally, I can have some peace of mind knowing that we'll have a place to live.

Now I got to think about a decent snow shovel.